Song of the day

Nina Simone singing "Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don't Leave Me)":

(Video link)

I was fortunate enough to see Nina perform at the Paramount Theater in Oakland back in July of 2001. I've never been in a crowd that expressed such adulation for the performer... and what an interesting crowd it was: a third gay, a third seniors, and a third black.

Halfway through her performance, Nina stood up from the piano in the middle of a number and slowly crossed the stage and exited; her band kept playing. A few minutes passed, and eventually my friends Dennis and Joe and I decided to grab a quick cocktail, but sadly the bar was closed. We returned to our seats; Nina still had not returned. After more than ten minutes she finally came back on stage, returned to the piano, and picked up exactly where she had left off. Our best guess was that she'd taken a bathroom break! (Her band evidently knew the drill. ;-)